Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with Harry Potter.
AN: This is another time travel story, because why not. I am using the idea of my higher powers from a previous snippet (Number 5: Timeless, if anyone wants to look back). It might have a bit of the story flow from my first story, as well (The Fates Decide). I hope someone can enjoy it.
Snippet #29: Mors Aeterna
The universe shook with a sound that had not been heard since the dawn of time itself, it was a terrifying sound, and those who understood what it meant quivered in fear. Even those who did not understand what it mean quivered, it was not your average sound. It was from one of the Eternal Four; Mors Aeterna. To say he was angry would be sugar coating it, so say he was rage incarnate would be a closer description. He snarled softly when a hand was put on his shoulder, but he relaxed with a gentle snort as he felt soothing magic flow into him. Any mortal who would hear his voice would die a thousand deaths, but the Eternal one beside him simple smiled when he spoke.
"It is always the same. Every time stream, every universe is the same. Always stemming from the same catalyst. Always breaking away from the path, never going according to plan. Countless times we have reset, and still it ends up the same!" Mors snarled deeply, a squeeze ot his shoulder helping him calm as the owner of the hand spoke. Her voice would make the mortal who died to his rise again, a thousand glorious lives. She was his negative, his opposite. She was Domina Vitae, the Lady of Life, as he was the Lord of Death.
"Mors, sweet Mors." She chuckled at his snarl, he was far from sweet! "You always see the larger picture, never the small items, never what is right before your eyes. It is simple, dear brother." She paused and he looked at her, his eyes telling her to go on. "Pay the Catalyst a visit. You are one of the Eternal Four. The laws the mortals abide by, that the universe does, you do not. You were there when the laws were made, you made some of them yourself, they are ours to bend to our will." She smiled at his realization, and then received a kiss on the cheek. He nodded and then stood, and with a swirl of shadows he vanished, causing her to chuckle and shake her head. When you were as old as they were, something you forgot the simplest of things, it came with age after all.
~MA~
"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"
"Stand aside, you silly girl...stand aside, now..."
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-" ( borrowed from Prisoner of Azkaban)
Mors Aeterna sighed softly, but then bore a terrifying grin, walking over to the frozen woman and touching her. She gasped as if it was the first time she ever breathed, and then stumbled back when she saw the shadow covered man. He radiated darkness, not evil like Voldemort, but pure darkness. It was almost hard to see, with how the light seemed to be swallowed by his very being. She looked around and then scrambled up, wand in hand, standing in front of Harry's crib.
"Whoever you are, I will not l-let you take him! You'll have to go through me first!" Lily Potter spoke, and Mors had to give it to the mortal, she was brave. He grinned and she shuddered, but she never wavered from her stance.
"You mortals and your courage. I should be impressed, I know my sister would be, but I find myself in no mood to truly care." He snarled softly then glanced at the frozen 'dark lord'. "Foolish mortal, thinks he can best me. I am eternal; I am he who comes for you in the end. No body escapes Death!" Lily whimpered and he brought his attention back to her. "It is here, it is you, which brings me here. This time, this event. It is bothersome, but it is an important part to my brother's design, to his plans. I grow weary of the normal outcome, however. Ten thousand tries, always the same, never different. He is rejected, made to be a villain, shown contempt." He came over to the crib, Harry looking up at where his mother should be. Mors then looked back at Lily, sighing softly, heavily.
"I will change this; I am tired of the same thing over... and over again. Upon this evening, you shall be the only known survivor of the killing curse. Upon the morrow you shall start to change the wrongs that would have come to pass, and you will be a force to be reckoned with." With that he reached out and touched her chest, making her gasp as the icy grip of death warmed over her, and then it was gone. She found herself blinking just as Voldemort raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!" Came the sinister spell, and it impacted with her, only to ricochet off of her chest and slam back into him. There was a blinding light, a small explosion, and then he tumbled to the ground, his spirit vanishing into the air with a long, angry hiss. She stumbled backwards but huffed heavily, so it wasn't just a panicked vision. Lily looked around and saw his wand, taking it and snapping it with a shudder before turning to her son and picking him up.
"Oh baby, my sweet... sweet Harry. Momma loves you, oh momma loves you so much." She kissed his cheeks and held him close, silently weeping. Weeping for their life, for the loss of her husband, for how terrible it could have gone. She looked out of the hole in the nursery, where the backlash of the explosion took out, and then glanced at the stairs at a familiar voice.
"James! Merlin no... Prongs..." Came the anguished tones of Sirius Black, her brother in all but blood. "LILY! HARRY!" He bellowed shortly after, bounding up the stairs and almost ripping the door off of its hinges, gasping as he saw Lily and Harry together, coming over to hug them both. "Merlin, I though... I saw James, and there was an explosion." He looked at her and Harry looked up at him, pressing a hand to his cheek, a little smile on his face. Momma and Uncle Pa'foo were here, and he could see the stars, he was a happy baby.
"He's gone for now, Sirius, but... but I have a feeling he'll be back." Lily shuddered and then spat on the robes that were in her son's nursery. "You'll have to stick with me, Sirius; everyone thinks you're the secret keeper. With how everything is these days, you'll get a one way ticket to Azkaban." Sirius shuddered but nodded, then snarled deeply.
"The Rat! I'll kill him. I'll tear his hea-" Sirius was interrupted by a slap, making him touch his cheek and look at his assailant.
"No! I said you stay close to me, damnit! I will not have you leave me alone. Not after tonight, please, Sirius." She held in a sob, the night catching up with her. He nodded softly, apologizing and then taking Harry from her as they went downstairs. She dropped to her knees and held her husband's head in her lap, sobbing gently as she let it sink in. She was a widow now, barely even married two years, and she was a widow. She sniffed softly and then let out another sob when a distraught 15 month old Harry Potter moved into her grip. She hugged him tightly and he hugged back as tightly as he could, trying to comfort his sad momma.
Sirius sighed and then his wand was in his hand as he heard steps coming up the gravel, Lily on her feet with her wand in her hand shortly after. The door opened, and they both relaxed as the figure trying to come in was having difficulty doing just that. Rubeus Hagrid, the gentle half giant, came in with a bit of effort and a soft grunt.
"Oh... a right mess this is. Merlin I hope lil' Harry is OK. Blimey... hope they all ar-" He froze and had his hands raised in a defensive position, growling softly at the sight before him. The body of James Potter was at the foot of a woman who looked like Lily, and the traitor Sirius Black.
"Alright then! Who are you two, huh? Best hand lil' Harry over before I get in a right state!" He growled deeply, surprising the two other adults in the room, they had never seen such an angry face on the gentle man. Lily spoke first, wand lowered as she wanted to convince her friend.
"Hagrid, it's me, Lily. Honestly." She thought for a moment and then nodded, mustering her happiest remaining memory and swishing her wand. "Expecto Patronum." She incanted, her silvery doe patronus prancing around and then coming up to nuzzle the large man, and he relaxed a bit. You couldn't fake a patronus; they were unique to the person. He then glared at Sirius, speaking with hatred in his voice.
"Get away from that traitor, Lily! Unless you want to see him take you to his death eater buddies!" He took a step forward, but Lily stepped in between him and Sirius.
"It was Peter, Hagrid. It was all Peter... he tricked us all. Trust me on that, please." She came up and put a hand on his chest, and he sighed softly. The Marauders were friends, but Lily always held a special place in his big heart.
"Alright, Lily, you wouldn't lie to me like that. Never were the best liar." He smiled and then sniffed softly, stroking Harry's cheek gently with his large finger. "Going to miss James, he was a good man, one of the finest of course." He stroked a tear from Lily's face, and then took a deep breath. "We'd best get to Dumbledore, he'll know what to do. Why don't you let me take Harry, hmm? I'll make sure he gets someplace safe, alright?" He held out his hands, a smile on his face, though it was partially wet from his tears.
Lily smiled, and for a moment she felt like it was the most marvelous idea in the world, and then she shook it off. That was a compulsion charm, placed on Hagrid to transfer to her, to make her go along with his suggestion. She held Harry tighter, but not uncomfortably, before shaking her head.
"No, Hagrid. I have a place to keep him safe. I'll be in contact with Dumbledore, alright?" She looked up at him, her words making him frown buy then he thought about it. It wasn't like Harry wouldn't be safe. After all, you-know-who was dead. Lily could take care of herself! He nodded softly, and then looked at Sirius.
"Go with her, Sirius, make sure her and lil' Harry are kept safe, got that?" He spoke, a no-nonsense tone in his voice. Sirius nodded and then took Lily's hand, Harry taking a deep breath as he knew the position they were in. A semi-loud ~crack~ and the three of them were gone. Hagrid sighed and picked up the body of James Potter. It wasn't that Lily was neglectful of the remains of her husband, but her child needed her now, and she would care for him. Hagrid walked out of the cottage and then without so much as a sound he vanished in the flash of a portkey, something given to him by the headmaster.
~MA~
Hagrid reappeared in the infirmary of Hogwarts, the hospital matron quick to scurry out, only to gasp and hold in a gentle sob at the body in his arms.
"On h-his bed, Hagrid. Please." Madame Pomfrey said, Hagrid nodding and putting James on his bed, the one with an actual plaque with his name on it from his youthful escapades. She stroked his cheek and leaned down to kiss his forehead. She looked up at the large man and spoke quietly. "What of Lily... a-and Harry?" She asked, almost fearful of the inevitable answer. He was about to speak when the door opened, Prof. McGonagall and the Headmaster coming in.
"Yes, Hagrid my boy, what of Lily and young Harry?" Dumbledore asked, interested himself.
"Lily survived, she did, and she took Harry with her to safety. Had Sirius Black with them too." McGonagall gasped at his words, and he actually forestalled her retort with a raised hand. "Told me that it was Peter, even showed me her patronus to prove it was her, you know you can't fake that, professor." Minerva nodded and then Dumbledore spoke again.
"And where did they head off to, my boy?" He asked, needing to know. They had to be protected, especially Harry. The Dark Lord was not dead, he knew that, and only the one prophesized to defeat him could end it. Harry needed to be trained, perfectly molded into the savior Wizarding Britain needed.
"I can't tell you that, Professor. I just don't know. Sirius took Harry and Lily and apparated away. I trust they will be perfectly safe, just you wait." He nodded and then sighed as he looked at James' form. "I hope he grows up happy with his mum, and he don't miss his dad too much." He said, and then he watched as Minerva saw the body, his form having been hiding it, sobbing softly and pressing a hand to his chilling cheek.
"I will find the three of them, and stress the importance of getting someplace safe." Dumbledore said, sighing heavily before going to his office to do just that. He needed Harry to be safe, until he could be properly trained. He would take care of everything; it was after all, for the Greater Good.
~MA~
Lily let out a relieved sigh just as she felt the secret embed into her mind, looking up at the four adults who looked confused. She cleared her throat to get their attention, and then spoke.
"The last bastion of the Potters and Longbottom clan is at Longbottom hall." She said, the realization coming to the other four adults. She got up and stroked her son's cheek, as he was asleep beside his god brother, Neville. She turned just as Alice came up to do the same to her son, smiling softly at her friend. They had just officially, through magic, changed not only the secret keeper for the Longbottoms, but the name of their home. It had been Longbottom manor, but as he was head of the family, Frank changed it as it was his privilege.
"We're safe here now, Lily. The Longbottom wards are second only to Hogwarts, and they are on war mode." Frank spoke up, a tumbler of scotch in his hand, sighing as he sipped it softly.
"I wish we would have done the same, I am going to miss my James..." Lily trailed and then sniffed softly, getting taken into an embrace by Sirius, who directed her to a seat where she broke down. It had been only a few hours, but it was so fresh, so raw, it hurt... it hurt so much. She felt better though, however that could have been because of the trilling song that came from the brilliant red and gold phoenix that burst into the room. Wands were not raised, as these were the lightest creatures on the planet, there was no rush here.
"What is Fawkes doing here?" Asked Augustus, getting a gentle shrug from the rest of them. The phoenix dropped a letter onto the table and the wands were out, checking it for every conceivable charm and magical alteration. It came back clean and Fawkes actually looked offended, but then trilled and with a flap of his wings perched on top of the crib. Lightly cooing at the two slumbering children, his song of serenity helping to keep them asleep and peaceful in their sleep. Sirius picked up the letter and then opened it, starting to read it. He grumbled when he got to the end and tossed it to the table.
"Miserable old fart." He scoffed and leaned back, letting Lily lean into him for that needed support as Alice picked it up. She snorted softly and shook her head, summarizing for the others.
"Our esteemed Order leader is concerned that we are going to be targeted by the dark tosser's followers. He suggests we set up the Fidelius, with him as secret keeper. He says there is no other we can really trust, and he trusts that we make the right decision." She snorted again and then tossed the paper into the hearth, Frank already writing a reply. He sealed it with his family crest, and then approached the legendary bird. He stroked his plumage softly, and got a trill of delight in return.
"Would you mind taking this back for us? You're always welcome to come by yourself to see the children." He smiled and the bird seemed to brighten up even more, taking the letter in his beak and vanishing in a burst of harmless fire.
AN: And that's as far as I got before It just died in my head. That has been happening a lot lately, and I apologize. Regardless, I hope it is enjoyed by anyone who can enjoy it, until next time. Read and review please.
AN2: To anyone who has idea's for any snippets I end abruptly or something, I do not mind said story being adopted or what have you, I would just like to be asked and linked to said story. Anyway, ta-ta, again.